Canadian SF/F Reads

Today as I write this it is Canada Day (July 1st) so I thought it might be fun to do a quick rundown of all the Canadian SF/F novels I've read so far this year. Here it is in reverse chronological order:

1/ Privilege of Peace by Tanya Huff. SF with a mixed human and alien military. This is the last in the long-running Torin Kerr/Confederation series and the Peacekeeper subseries. Basic series premise: the Elder Races are non-violent and so when their Confederation is attacked by the Primacy, they enlist the help of the Younger Races (human, Krai and diTaykan) to fight the war.

2/ A Magical Inheritance by Krista D. Ball. A charming Regency-era England plus magic but no romance, not even a subplot.

3/The Piper of Shadonia by Linda Smith. I recently found out that this was published post-humously by my dear friend Linda. It is a teen fantasy novel and gives a very thoughtful examination of the price of rebellion.

4/ Jade City by Fonda Lee. This one was nominated for and/or won) a lot of awards last year and it's easy to see why. The world is refreshingly unique: mafia type feuding families who use magical jade to do martial arts. Sequel Jade War is out soon.

5/ Theater of Spies by S.M. Stirling. Book two. Alternate history set in a World War I where Teddy Roosevelt won a second term of office. Luz and her lover Ciara are kickass spies who fight very Nazi-like Germans.

6/ Judgment Daze by Jonathan Sean Lyster. Off-the-wall urban fantasy featuring a lot of brothers who are the sons of God and thus have Messiah-like superpowers. A lot of fun.

 7 & 8 / Pile of Bones and Path of Smoke, first two books in the Parallel Parks series by Bailey Cunningham. Graduate students by day, citizens of Roman-inspired city with magic by night.

9/ The Quantum Magician by Derek Kunsken. Genetically-altered super-genius hired to run a con in order to sneak a fleet of spaceships through a nexus points. The plot is clever and the Puppets were chilling.

10/ The Rebel by Gerald Brandt. Finishes up the dystopic/rebellion San Angeles trilogy featuring a courier who finds out too much and is marked for death by the corporations running the world.

Happy Day After Canada Day!

Yesterday was party day! We celebrated the 148^th birthday of our nation. Here in Canada’s Capital, Parliament Hill is normally swarmed with crowds of 100,000 or more, and museums have free admission. It’s pretty cool! In one of the early drafts of Her Sexy Sentinel, I actually had a Canada-Day-on-Parliament-Hill scene, but that subplot ended up getting cut.

In belated celebration, I wanted to share with you some of my favourite TV shows and movies from Canada.

Bon Cop Bad Cop

This movie is filled with Canadian in-jokes. You’ve got the tension between English Ontario and French Quebec, you’ve got a murder mystery entirely centred around Canadian hockey teams moving to the U.S., and an entire scene devoted to explaining how to swear in Québécois French. It’s pretty awesome.

Due South

I was a HUGE fan of this TV series when it was on. First of all, it features a do-good Mountie stationed in Chicago, partnering with an American detective to solve crime. Secondly, the guy’s deaf husky is named Diefenbaker, after one of our prime ministers. And lastly, Paul Gross is hot, man.

Forever Knight

In this series from the early 90s, Nick Knight is a vampire cop struggling to find redemption. It’s set in Toronto and was one of my first introductions to the whole “vampires as good guys” trope.

Bitten

This show is based on one of my favourite book series, Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong. It’s mostly set in Toronto and northern New York and centres around the one and only female werewolf. I haven’t seen all of the episodes yet, but I can tell you that the books…wow, the books are awesome.

Speaking of books, if you’re looking for some fun Canadian spec fic, check out:

Moonheart or the Jack of Kinrowan series by Charles de Lint. These books are set in Ottawa and the surrounding area and effortlessly blend Old World and First Nations myths and legends with the real world.

Tanya Huff’s Vicki Nelson series is set in and around Toronto. Vicki is a former cop with degenerating eyesight who partners with the vampiric bastard son of Henry VIII to solve paranormal crimes.

Light by ‘Nathan Burgoine is a recent favourite of mine. Set in Ottawa during Pride Week, the story focuses on a reluctant superhero struggling to find love and prevent hatred and bigotry from spewing all over the celebrations.

And, of course, there’s mine…

The most dangerous thing they could do is fall in love...

Callie Noble fled to Ottawa to escape danger. But she is far from safe. Overwhelmed by a strange new power she can't control, Callie is terrified and painfully incapacitated. Her only hope is to seek the help of the one man who broke her heart...

Derrick Llewellyn is one of the Sentinels charged with the protection of the city's mysterious secret. Seeing Callie again is a shock enough, but the electricity between them is stronger than ever. Still, loving another marked individual is forbidden, and Callie needs his help—not romantic complications.

But there are forces at work in the city, and Callie finds herself inexorably drawn into a world filled with danger and untold magics. A world where loving Derrick isn't just forbidden...it's the surest way to drive them both mad.